Propelling and steering mechanism.



PATENTED DEC. 6, 1904. D. W. BANTINE.

PROPELLING AND STEERING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILEDFEB. 2a, 1902. RENEWED MAY 26, 1904-.

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7 WITNESSES PATENTED DEC. 6, 19045 D. W. RANTINB PROPELLING AND STEERINGMECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28, 1902. RENEWED MAY 26. 1904.

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w ma M to, My m u oi J. M .MQ U N F i N. Z m Nu in is w i mw 2? 1,62 5 nm PATENTED DEC. 6, 19047 D. W. RANTINE.

PROPELLING AND STEERING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2a. 1902. RENEWED MAY 26. m4.

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7 i 7 7 6 4 7 iII 4441154111 N twi WITNESSES ATTORNEYS PATENTED DEC}. 6,1904.

D. W. RANTINE.

PROPELLING AND STEERING MECHANISM.

APPLIUATION FILED FEB. 28. 1902. mmnwnn MAY 26, 1904.

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l/VVE/VTO/f jazzzeZWEazzzzzze QM 249$ ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PatentedDecember 6, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

PROPELLING AND STEERING MECHANISM.

EPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 776,687, dated December6, 1904.

Application filed February 28, 1902. Renewed May 26, 1904. Serial No,209,926. (No model.)

110 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DANIEL W. RANTINE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of NewYork, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Propelling and SteeringMechanism, of which the following is a full and complete specification,such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same. I

The object of this invention is to provide an improved propelling andsteering mechanism for vessels of various kinds and classes whichinvolves a main tubular propeller-shaft which in the operation ofsteering and propelling the vessel is always turned in the samedirection and a propeller connected therewith the blades of which areadapted to be turned into different position according to the object tobe accomplished, the turning of the propeller-blades being effected bymeans of a supplemental inner shaft located in the main propeller-shaftand geared in connection with said blades and devices connected with themain propeller-shaft and the supplemental inner shaft, whereby theturning of the supplemental shaft is effected.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, ofwhich the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate partsof my improvement are designated by the same reference characters ineach of the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of myimproved propelling mechanism, a portion of the hull of the vessel beingindicated in section; Fig. 2, a plan view thereof; Fig. 3, a sectionalside elevation of my improved propelling and steering mechanism andshowing the propellerblades in the position they occupy for moving thevessel forward; Fig. 4C, a View similar to Fig. 3 and showing the partsof the apparatus and the propeller-blades in the position they occupywhen it is desired to move the vessel backward; Fig. 5, a view similarto Figs. 3 and I, but showing the parts in position to turn the vesselto the right; Fig. 6, a view similar to Fig. 5, but showing the parts inposition to turn the vessel to the left; Fig. 7, a sectional side Viewof the main propeller shaft and the supplemental inner shaft and certainparts connected therewith, all of which are shown on an enlarged scale;and. Fig. 8, a perspective view of the parts shown in Fig. 7 on anenlarged scale.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, reference being madeto Figs. 1 and 2, I have shown at a a part of the hull of a vessel andat I) a framework or support placed therein and in which the mainpropeller-shaft and operative parts are placed or supported, and in thepractice of my invention 1 provide a main propeller-shaft c, which, asshown in Figs. 3 to 7, inclusive, is tubular in form and passes througha suitable bearing 5 at the extreme stern of the vessel, and said shaftis also provided with another bearing within the frame or support 6, andother bearings may be provided, if desired. The main propeller-shaft isdivided into two parts, and the rearmost end thereof, which passesthrough the bearing 7), is indicated by the reference character 0 and isprovided with a propellerhead (Z. The point of division of the mainpropeller-shaft c is at 0, just within the hull of the vessel, and theadjacent ends thereof are provided with collars c and o which aresecured thereto by screws 0 or in any desired manner, and said collarsare provided at one side with shoulders or projections 0 through whichis passed a bolt or shaft 0, which is provided at its inner end with apinion (3 and midway thereof between the shoulders or pro jections 0with a similar pinion 6 both of which are secured to the bolt or shaft0.

The propeller-head (Z is provided with a central chamber (Z and passingcentrally therethrough is a propeller-blade shaft or journal of,provided at its opposite ends with propeller-blades d", which are set atright angles to each other or in planes cutting each other at rightangles,and the shaftd is provided within the propeller-head (Z with abeveled gear-wheel (5 having a hub d, rigidly secured to said shaft.

Mounted longitudinally in the main propeller-shaft 0, which is tubularin form, is a supplemental propeller-shaftf', the end of which withinthe propeller-head (Z is provided with a beveled gear wheel or pinion f,having onehalf the number of teeth of the wheel (Z and adapted tooperate in connection with said wheel. The supplemental propeller-shaftf is provided at its inner end with a cam-sleeve g, rigidly securedthereto, and the end thereof in the direction of the propeller is cutaway at an inclination, so as to form a projection which in the positionof the parts shown in Figs. 3 and 5 is on the upper side of thesupplemental shaft and in the position of the parts shown in Figs. 4 and6 at the bottom of said shaft. The supplemental shaft f is also providedmidway thereof with another cam-sleeve g which is rigidly securedthereto and the end of which in the direction of the sleeve g is cutaway similar to the corresponding end of the sleeve 9, so as to form aprojecting point which in the position of the parts shown in Figs. 3 and5 is on the upper side of said supplemental shaft and in the position ofthe parts shown in Figs. 4: and 6 is on the lower side of said shaft.Mounted on the supplemental shaft f within the propeller-shaft c andbetween the cam-sleeves g and g is a third cam-sleeve It, which isadapted to slide on the supplemental shaft, and this cam-sleeve 7b is'cut away at an inclination at both ends, so as to form projecting points72 and 7&3, the projecting point 7& being in the direction of thecam-sleeve g, while the projecting point if is in the direction of thecam-sleeve The cutting away of the end of the cam-sleeve g at aninclination so as to form the point or projection g also forms at theopposite side of said sleeve a V-shaped notch or recess g and thecorresponding cutting away of the end of the cam-sleeve g to form thepoint or projection 0* also forms at the opposite side of said sleeve aV-shaped notch or recess g. The cutting away of the opposite ends of thesleeve It so as to form the projections 7L and Its also forms at thecorresponding opposite sides of said sleeve V-shaped notches or recessesif and 7f, the V-shaped notch or recess 7? being in the direction of thesleeve g, while the V-shaped notch or recess 705 is in the direction ofthe sleeve g The main propeller-shaft c, which is tubular in form, isprovided in one side thereof with a longitudinal slot 2', andmounted onsaid shaft is a tubular slide i which is adapted to slide thereon, andsaid tubular slide 2' is connected with the sleeve h by a screw, pin,bolt, or other device 7?, which passes therethrough and through the slot2' and into the sleeve h. The main frame or support 5 of the propellermechanism is provided at the top with crossbars 6*, If, and b andmounted on the crossbar Z2 is a vertically-arranged'operating-shaft j,which in practice extends upwardly into the pilot-house and is providedwith any suitable supports or bearings, and this shaft is provided witha gear-wheel which operates in connection with a rack-bar j, which isprovided with bearings j, through which it passes and through which itis longitudinally movable, said rack-bar being arranged directly overand in line with the main propellershaft. The rack-bar is provided witha yoke f, the side arms of which project downwardly and inclose thetubular slide i and the side arms of the yoke f are provided at theirends with pins, screws, or equivalent devices j, which operate in anannular groove 7' formed in the tubular slide i and by mov-- ing therack-bar longitudinally the tubular slide i may also be movedlongitudinally of the main propeller-shaft. The main part of thepropeller-shaft is also provided adjacent to the collar 0 with a sleeveis, which is provided with an annular gear 10 in connection with whichthe pinion e operates, and this sleeve in is provided at its oppositesides with projecting pins or fingers 7c and 10*, the finger A? beingnearest the inner end of said sleeve or nearest the slide 2' or, inother words, these pins or fingers are arranged in different verticalplanes. The rack-bar f is provided with a downwardly-directed stop [0 incon-- nection with which in the operation of the apparatus, ashereinbefore described, the pins or fingers and if operate, and mountedon the supplemental shaft f between the collars c and 0 which'aresecured to the adjacent ends of the separate parts of the mainpropeller-shaft, is a gear-wheel m, which is provided with a hub rigidlysecured to said supplemental shaft and which operates in connection withthe pinion e on the shaft or bolt 0 and the gear-wheel m is of the samediameter as the gear 76 on the sleeve 70, and, as hereinbefore stated,the pinions e and c are also of the same size or diameter.

The main propeller-shaft c is provided with a collar of, which serves tohold the sleeve/ c in position and preventits longitudinal movement onsaid shaft in one direction, while the collar 0 prevents the movement ofsaid sleeve in the opposite direction. The said main shaft is alsoprovided at the opposite sides of the bearing 6 with collars m which arerigidly secured thereto and which serve to prevent the longitudinalmovement of said shaft.

As hereinbefore stated, the vertically-arranged operating-shaft j is inpractice extended upwardly into the pilot-house, which is not shown, andsaid shaft is also in practice provided with suitable means for turningthe same and also for indicating in what direction it is turned and theextent of said movement. In practice I prefer to employ for this purposethe apparatus described and claimed in an application for Letters Patentof the United States filed by me on the 10th day of February, 1902,Serial No. 93,291; but, as hereinbefore stated, any suitable means ordevices may be employed to accomplish this result.

The operation will be readily understood from the foregoing description,taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the followingstatement: Suppose the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 3, inwhich position of the parts the propeller-blades d are in position topropel the vessel forward. If it is desired to back the vessel, theoperating-shaft j is turned to the left, so as to move the rack-bar fbackwardly into the position shown in Fig. 4:. In this operation thesleeve it is also moved backwardly on the supplemental shaft and withinthe main propellershaft, and in this operation the pointed end b of saidsleeve strikes on the inclined end of the sleeve g and turns thesupplemental shaft through one-half a revolution, the pointed end if ofthe sleeve it passing into the notch or recess 9 of the sleeve g In thisposition of the parts the two shafts or the main and supplemental shaftsare locked together and revolve together, and the propeller-bladesassume the position shown in Fig. 4: and operate to back the vessel, itbeing understood that the turning of the supplemental shaft f, as abovedescribed, also turns the propellerblades by means of the gear-wheels fand (Z and said propeller blades are turned onequarter of a revolutionby reason of the relative size of the wheels f and (Z If new it it isdesired to turn the vessel to the right, the operating-shaft j ismanipulated so as to move the rack-bar f forwardly until the stop kthereon comes in the line of movement of the finger is", which isconnected with the sleeve is, as shown in Fig. 5. In this position ofthe parts the sleeve cannot turn;

but the main shaft 0 continues to turn and carries around the collars 0and c and the shaft c also is carried around by said collars, and thepinion 0 moves around the gearwheel at, which remains stationary withthe supplemental shaft f. At the beginning of this movement thepropellerhead (Z turns with the propeller-shaft about one-eighth of arevolution until the propeller-blades d are in the vertical position andassume the position shown in Fig. 5, in which the lower blade strikesthe water side on, while the upper blade divides the water edgewise, andthis position of these blades as the main propeller-shaft continues torevolve is maintained, the lower blade being always in position tostrike the water side on,while the upper blade passes edgewise throughthe water, this operation of the blades being accomplished by thecontinual revolution of the propeller-head d around the stationarysupplemental shaft and by the gear-wheels d and f, as will be readilyunderstood. If it is desired to turn the vessel to the left, the partsofthe apparatus must be thrown into the position shown in Fig. 6, and inorder to accomplish this result the rack-bar f is moved backward] y ortoward the stern of the vessel until the stop 7? comes in the line ofmovement of the pin or finger 70 with which the sleeve 7: is provided,and before the pin or finger strikes the stop the main shaft turnsthrough one-half a revolution, together, with the supplemental shaft andparts connected therewith, and in this operation the propeller-bladesare thrown into the position shown in Fig. 6, in which the upper bladestrikes the water side on, while the lower blade divides the wateredgewise, and the said blades maintain this position during the timethat the apparatus is operated with the parts in the position shown inFig. 6, it being understood that the main shaft and the parts eonnectedtherewith revolve around the supplemental shaft f in the position shownin Fig. 6 exactly as when in the position shown in Fig. 5. In order topropel the vessel straight ahead, the parts must be thrown into theposition shown in Fig. 3, which is accomplished by moving the rack-bar3' until the movable cam-sleeve it engages the stationary cam-sleeve g,which is secured to the supplemental shaft f, and in this position ofthe parts .of the propeller-blades (i assume the position shown in Fig.3 and both the main and supplemental shafts continue to revolve to theright or in the same direction. The collars 0* and 0" are also connectedopposite the shaft or bolt 0 by a transverse piece 0, which may beformed integral with said collar or connected therewith in any desiredmanner, so as to give strength and stability to these parts, and thepropeller-blades cl may be of any preferred form, shape, orconstruction, and said blades may be connected with the shaft (Z in anydesired manner.

It will be understood that any suitable power may be employed forturning the main propeller-shaft, and said propeller-shaft is alwaysturned in the same direction and the same propeller-shaft may beconnected with a source of power by the usual or any preferred means.

The entire apparatus is simple in construction and operation, and thevarious parts thereof may be made of any desired strength, and by meansthereof the propelling, back ing, and steering or guiding of a vesselmay be accomplished without reversing the main propeller-shaft andwithout stopping the engine, the entire apparatus being under thecontrol of a pilot within the pilot-house.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus of the class described, a main propeller-shaft whichis tubular in form, a propeller-head connected therewith, a supplementalpropeller-shaft mounted in the main propeller-shaft and extending intothe propeller-head, a blade-shaft passing transversely through said headand geared in connection with the supplemental propeller-shaft,propeller-blades rigidly connected by their shanks to said blade-shaftand arranged at right angles to each other, and means whereby thesupplemental shaft may be turned in either direction while the mainpropeller-shaft is IIO turned in one direction, substantially as shownand described.

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a main tubularpropeller-shaft provided with a propeller-head, a blade-shaft passingtransversely through the propeller-head, a supplemental shaft mounted inthe main shaft and geared in connection with the blade-shaft, said mainshaft being composed of separate parts, the adjacent ends of which areprovided with collars connected at one side by a bolt or shaft, a pinionsecured to said bolt or shaft between said collars, another pinionsecured to the inner end of said shaft, a gearwheel connected with thesupplemental shaft and operating in connection with the firstnamedpinion, a sleeve mounted on the main shaft and provided with a gearwhich operates in connection with the last-named pinion, and means forlocking said sleeve against rotation, substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a main tubularpropeller-shaft provided with a propeller-head, a blade-shaft passingtransversely through the propeller-head, a supplemental shaft mounted inthe main shaft and geared in connection with the blade-shaft, said mainshaft being composed of separate parts, the adjacent ends of which areprovided with collars connected at one side by a bolt or shaft, a pinionsecured to said bolt or shaft between said collars,'another pinionsecured to the inner end of said shaft, a gearwheel connected with thesupplemental shaft and operating in connection with the firstnamedpinion, a sleeve mounted on the main shaft and provided with a gearwhich operates in connection with the last-named pinion, and means forlocking said sleeve against rotation consisting of radially-projectingfingers connected with said sleeve and a longitudinally-movable rack-barprovided with a stop adapted to engage said finger and avertically-arranged shaft for operating said rackbar, substantially asshown and described.

a. In a propelling apparatus for vessels, a main tubular propeller-shaftprovided at its outer end with a propeller-head, a blade-shaft passingtransversely through the propellerhead, a supplemental shaft mounted inthe main shaft and geared in connection with said blade-shaft, twocam-sleeves secured to the supplemental shaft, a movable cam sleevemounted on the supplemental shaft and adapted to operate in connectionwith the firstnamed cam-sleeves, and means for operating the movablecam-sleeve,substantially as shown and described.

5. In a propelling apparatus for vessels, a main tubular propeller-shaftprovided at its outer end with a propeller-head, a blade-shaft passingtransversely through the propellerhead, a supplemental shaft mounted inthe main shaft, and geared in connection with said blade-shaft, amovable cam-sleeve mounted on the supplemental shaft two cam-sleevessecured to the supplemental shaft and adapted to operate in connectionwith the firstnamed cam-sleeve, and means for operating the movablecam-sleeve, consisting of a slide mounted on the main shaft and inoperative connection with said movable cam-sleeve, a yoke connected withsaid slide, a rack-bar connected with said yoke and avertically-arranged operating-shaft for moving said rackbar,substantially as shown and described.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, a main tubularpropeller-shaft provided at its outer end with a propeller-head, ablade-shaft passing transversely through said propellerhead, asupplemental shaft mounted in the main shaft and geared in connectionwith said propeller-head, said shaft being also provided in one sidethereof with a longitudinal slot and said supplemental shaft beingprovided with two cam-sleeves rigidly secured thereto at a predetermineddistance apart, a movable cam-sleeve mounted on the supplemental shaftbetween the first-named cam-sleeve, a slide mounted on the main shaftand in operative connection with the movable cam-sleeve and devices foroperating said slide, substantially as shown and described.

7. In an apparatus of the class described, a

main tubular propeller-shaft provided at its outer end with apropeller-head, a blade-shaft passing transversely through thepropellerhead, a supplemental shaft mounted in the main shaft and gearedin connection with the blade-shaft, said main shaft being composed ofseparate parts, the adjacent ends of which are provided with collars, abolt or shaft passing through said collars at one side, a pinion securedthereto between said collars, another pinion secured to the inner end ofsaid bolt or shaft, a gear-wheel connected with the supplemental shaftand operating in connection with the firstnamed pinion, and a sleevemounted on said main shaft which operates in connection with thelast-named pinion and devices for locking said sleeve against rotationand devices for turning the supplemental shaft within the main shaftthrough a part of a revolution, substantially as shown and described.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, a main tubularpropeller-shaft provided at its outer end with a propeller-head, ablade-shaft passing transversely through the propellerhead, asupplemental shaft mounted in the main shaft and geared in connectionwith the blade-shaft, said main shaft being composed of separate parts,the adjacent ends of which are provided with collars, a bolt or shaftpassing through said collars, at one side, a pinion secured theretobetween said collars, another pinion secured to the inner end of saidbolt or shaft, a gear-wheel connected with the supplemental shaft andoperating in connection with the firstnamed pinion, and a sleeve mountedon said shaft which operates in conmy invention I have signed my name,in presenee of the subscribing Witnesses, this 27th I 0 day of February,1902.

DANIEL WV. RANTINE. V

Witnesses:

T. A. STEWART, (J. E. MULREANY.

